It will be difficult to top Dallas Cowboys defensive back DaRon Bland's Thanksgiving. In Thursday's 45-10 victory over the division foe Washington Commanders, Bland not only contributed to the Cowboys' superior defence but also broke an NFL record.
Story of the game:
Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott was lounging on the sidelines with a turkey leg in hand when DaRon Bland broke the NFL record. The Cowboys also performed at home as they have all season.
They triumphed once more, bringing their winning run at home to 13 games. Except for the 18 consecutive home games the Cowboys won from 1979 to 1981, this is the longest winning streak in team history this season.
Dallas destroyed the Commanders 45–10 on Thanksgiving Day, scoring 25 points in the fourth quarter.
The Commanders dropped to 4-8 as the Ron Rivera Watch got underway, while the Cowboys advanced to 8-3.
At AT&T Stadium, Dallas has defeated the Jets, Patriots, Rams, Giants, and Commanders 205–60. This season, they have not trailed in any of their home games.
With Rico Dowdle for 15 yards, Brandin Cooks for 31 yards, CeeDee Lamb for 15 yards, and KaVontae Turpin for 34 yards, Prescott completed his scoring plays with a 331-yard pass that resulted in four touchdowns. His passer rating was 142.1 and he ranked 22 out of 32.
Lamb caught four catches for 53 yards, and Cooks caught four for 72 yards.
For the seventh time this season, Bland scored the winning touchdown by recovering an interception. Since last week, he had shared the NFL record for most pick-sixes (63 yards) with Eric Allen (1993), Ken Houston (1971), and Jim Kearney (1972).
This season, he has scored touchdowns against Daniel Jones for 22 yards, Mac Jones for 54 yards, Matthew Stafford for 30 yards, and Bryce Young for 30 yards. His victory against Young came last week.
When Bland leapt for a pass meant for Jahan Dotson, Sam Howell, Terry McLaurin, and Brian Robinson had chances to stop him from getting into the end zone.
Curtis Samuel caught nine catches for 100 yards, while Howell completed 28 of 44 passes for 300 yards and the touchdown.
With a mini-bye approaching, the focus now will be on whether Josh Harris, the new owner, will try to fire Rivera on Black Friday. During his tenure in Washington, Rivera is 26-35-1.
The Washington Commanders have a difficult assignment when they host the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, December 3. Meanwhile, the Dallas Cowboys open Week 13 at home against the Seattle Seahawks.
